Dinant, Belgium
Dinant, Belgium sits along the Muse River. It is a city lodged into the river valley giving it unbelievably pristine views. We stopped in Dinant to break up the drive between Luxembourg City and Delft, Netherlands.
Instead of driving the RV into Dinant’s narrow streets we parked at the top of the Citadel. Be careful when you purchase tickets at the Citadel. The default ticket to the Citadel includes the cable car and a river cruise. We asked for an entrance ticket to the Citadel (fort) and cable car combo only. We had read that the river cruise isn’t very interesting.
We were a bit disappointed with our Citadel visit. There are a few rooms open to visit but many of the areas were walled off. We also found ourselves in a few interactive exhibits that were too scary for the little ones. The view though is unbelievable and worth the visit.
The Citadel does have a playground and some airplanes on display that the boys loved. There is also a cafe, although we did not purchase any food there. The playground and cafe are outside of the ticket area for the Citadel, so you can visit them without buying a ticket.
The cable car ride was incredibly scenic and a crowd pleaser. It’s a quick but steep ride.
We had the small cable car to ourselves both up and down. There was plenty of room for the stroller, which is convenient.
We popped into Collegiale Notre-Dame, the church at the base of the Citadel. The church has been rebuilt several times. The original church on this site was destroyed in 1228 when the cliffside fell on it. It was then destroyed again in both World War I and World War II.
The large stained glass windows are impressive, even if they are not as old as one would think.
We took a quick stroll across the bridge to get a view of the Citadel sitting over the city. We found a small bakery for a snack and then headed back up the cable car to the RV.
If you have your car down in Dinant there are a few attractions down the road to check out. The Bayard Rock is a 100 ft needle rock that sits between the road and the river. It is less then a mile south of the city.
If you have older children they may enjoy one of these kayak or recreational tours of the area. This is also a huge Belgium rock climbing area. Oh, and the Leffe brewery is in Dinant too!
